ISTANBUL/MINSK – UNFPA has entered into a new partnership with OWHealth, the parent company behind the popular period-tracker app and women’s health platform Flo, which has over 13 million active users worldwide (among a total of 35 million installs) and is downloaded 2.5 million times every month.

Under the agreement, UNFPA will provide content on issues such as contraceptives, cervical cancer prevention and how to avoid infection with HIV and other STIs.

“There are millions of girls and women in the world who need information on sexual and reproductive health issues and the Flo period tracker and women's health platform is a great tool for reaching them in a confidential and accessible way,” UNFPA Regional Director Alanna Armitage said at the signing ceremony in Minsk in December.

By providing accurate and user-friendly content for the app, UNFPA will be able to reach millions of smartphone users around the world, including in areas with limited access to reproductive health information.

“Our mission is to be a trusted partner for every woman along the entire reproductive cycle, from adolescence to menopause,” said OWHealth Director Dmitry Gurski. He added that in less than two years, Flo has managed to take leading positions in the Health & Fitness Category for both the Apple Store and Google Play in many countries.

“We are honored to partner with UNFPA, and consider this agreement to be a major recognition of our work,” Gurski said.

The app, developed in Belarus, is powered by artificial intelligence and provides accurate cycle predictions, personalized daily health insights and a closed community of experts and peers to provide advice.

UNFPA is also partnering with one of Flo’s board members, the Russian philanthropist and supermodel Natalia Vodianova, on a campaign, “Let’s Talk About It. Period”, which is aimed at breaking taboos about periods and other reproductive health issues.